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Back in the stone ages of 2003, before social media, I was driving back to the NFL owners meetings at the Arizona Biltmore from ASU’s pro day — featuring Terrell Suggs — when I was told the Cardinals were holding a press conference to sign free-agent running back Emmitt Smith. It wasn’t a total shock. Smith had already visited the Cards and even had a press conference, which the team did for visiting free agents at the time, even if they hadn’t signed. But Smith’s arrival was going to generate big headlines. (Emmitt was at the end of his career and the Cards weren’t very good, but he had an underrated second season in 2004, more effective for a bad offense than for which people give him credit.)

In 2006, with a new stadium coming online and Matt Leinart’s splashy draft arrival a month away, I stood in the drizzle at Kurt Warner’s flag football event at the Cardinals’ facility, knowing free-agent running back Edgerrin James was in there and the Cards were trying to nail him down. As it turned out, they did, and his arrival generated big headlines. (Edge didn’t perform as he once did and fell out of favor in 2008, but if it wasn’t for his ground game — he was good in the postseason — I don’t believe the Cardinals march through the NFC playoffs en route to the Super Bowl.)

In 2015, with Andre Ellington and rookie David Johnson pulling hamstrings, the Cards brought in Chris Johnson. While Ellington was the starter to begin the year, CJ2K was in the top three in the league in rushing before he got hurt.

So now, Adrian Peterson arrives. He has not played well this season in a situation where he wasn’t really wanted in New Orleans. He comes to a team that has not been able to run, even when David Johnson got his 11 carries (for only 21 yards) prior to his injury. But he’ll be the starter — not surprisingly, he just took Chris Johnson’s spot atop the depth chart — for now, at least until/if David Johnson returns. And we’ll see if it helps the 32nd-ranked run game.

There are intangible benefits here. Regardless of where he is in his career, he likely provides a boost for the locker room that couldn’t have been feeling great. (Clearly Larry Fitzgerald, a long-time friend of Peterson, is pleased.) It’s low-risk, given the $700,000 or so he’s still owed, and even the sixth-round pick given up can be made up when compensatory choices are awarded. Tangibly, at 2.6 yards a carry running the ball, even if Peterson is an average back, he still should improve things. It’s also a move, period, showing to the roster Steve Keim isn’t throwing in any towel.

There are limitations. Peterson’s strength isn’t pass protection, and while he has caught some passes, he is not Andre Ellington out there. Defenses are looking for the run whenever Peterson is on the field. Peterson is not an offensive lineman, either, and that’s the spot where the Cardinals really need help. But it’s something, a move that combined with a potential return of linemen D.J. Humphries and Alex Boone, could provide something akin to a jump-start.

59 Responses
to “Adrian Peterson, and now what?”

As I mentioned a couple blogs back, AP gives the cards something they lost with DJ going down. That is the ability to break tackles.

When you have an oline that allows the backs to get hit in the backfield, a back like Peterson, even at this age, turns a loss into getting back to the LOS, a 2 yard run into a 4 yrd run, and if some miricle happens and the line blocks and gets him to the second level, he can turn those 5 yard runs into 20.

How much impact does that mean? The thought is, if you have 2nd and 6 or 3rd and 2, it opens up the playbook.

Is it a desperate move? Probably. But if I was in Keim’s shoes, I would try about anything. (like trying Veldheer on the Left side).

The POTENTIAL return of DJ Humphries…..yeah, we’ve been listening to this broken record all year. Let me know when he decides to be a football player again.

I was thinking about the Edge myself today…..because maybe if things are no better with AP, we can call him next.

Now what, indeed. Look, personnel moves are not an answer at this point. We have who we have. And with who we have, we should NOT be as horrific as we were in Philly on Sunday. How bad we were in Philly on Sunday speaks to coaching, preparation, and heart. And massive failures in all three areas. So? Coach better. Prepare better. Have some damn pride. Play better. What the hell else CAN they do? People need to start doing their damn jobs. And it would help if guys like Nkemdiche and Humphries would get on the damn field.

In an ironic twist, did anyone see CJ’s twitter post earlier in the year that AP needed more carries in New Orleans? Wow…..and now he’s going to get them – taking CJ’s spot here.

Well folks, you may not want to hear politics but this is a game changer.

Rodger Goodell responds after Trumps tweets;

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday issued a memo to all 32 teams addressing the issue of the national anthem before games.

In the memo, obtained by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Goodell stated that the league believes “that everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” and that “the controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues.”

I understand where you are coming from, but it’s not going to happen. Here’s why.

When AP is in the game, the defense loads up to defend the run game because they already know AP will be out of the game on passing downs. We will be showing our hand to every defense and telegraphing that we are running or passing. Ellington comes in, play for the pass.

This is a Defensive Coordinators dream. They know AP will not pass block and can’t catch the ball. This is going to be too easy for any D-coordinator. At least with CJ2K they had no key for pass or run.

Watch this next game. Watch them load the box when AP comes in. They will stuff the run, bring in Ellington on third and long and play the pass. It’s a dream for every D-coordinator.

Yes, AP may be able to get an extra yard or two, but for how long? Trust me, with BA calling the offense, he will panic and start throwing like he always does. BA simply refuses to give the running game a chance. And since he never throws to his tight ends, it’s going to be third and long for Palmer all day long.

Oh, and if BA wins the toss, he will take the ball and put the weakest part of him team on the field first. 3 and out, punt, and the opponent will have the ball near mid field and here we go again. Playing from behind.

I’ve been tracking BA’s play calling for two years now. He is not going to change and what I described above will be what you see Sunday.

Harold Goodwin needs to assume the play calling for this team, or it’s over.

We need our O line healthy to even give AP a fighting chance. If anyone can survive back there its AP. I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst. At least it adds a spark of hope to all of us fans. AND that’s all I need, …. a spark of it.

I genuinely would support the management, staff and coach’es.. However, since the Cardinals came to AZ the overall play from the offensive line has been mediocre at best including the draft where Keim heavily pushed for a now-aged-though-has-yet-to-be-determined-juice-in-the-legs Peterson; yet we had six season’s of Levi Brown.

As someone who has served in the military and as “cliche” as it sounds, “battles are won in the trenches”. You have to know the person next to you has your back and that everyone is on the same page working as a unit. What I have seen thus far is an offensive line in such disarray that I have to give Palmer credit for continuing to take the beating he has week in and week out. We went out and spent money of Veldheer, Iupati and now Boone all veteran’s yet have not lived up to their potential because as stated “veteran’s”.

The only “shining light in my eye’s” has been the play of Humphries before getting hurt. A big man that can move that fast and run-block is something to be desired in a “run game” that has been missing for quite some time in AZ.

The fact is and will always remain the next “man up” theory seems to be the blessing and curse of our beloved team. May the football god’s be in our favor in finally coming to give our offensive line some consistency someday as well as allowing AP to show he can still be a dominant force to be reckoned with.

What are people talking about? Ive heard of the sky falling but PP21 being traded? Are you kidding me? What? Why? He is to this Cards generation what Larry was to the last. Lets not get crazy people!!!

We are only one game out of first place in an unpredictable division so I welcome the signing. There is no question AP is better than what we have and gives us some credibility in the backfield since he can do many of the same things as DJ (minus the elite pass catching ability of DJ). He is hungry, he wants the ball and plays with passion which is something we desperately need.

My hope is that AP’s presence may inspire and bring out the best in our below average OL since that is something the coaching staff has failed to do. Just knowing that you are blocking for an all-pro back who gives max effort and is holding you accountable for doing you job may be enough to re-focus our OL. This could be the spark we need in our run game and that added threat which balances out our predictable offense.

But I must say,I’m very concerned with what I saw in the Philly game which was more than just a team that had a bad game. When I watched that game, I saw a team that when hit, stayed down and was content staying down. They looked uninspired and displayed no passion or competitive spirit whatsoever. I agree with you Scott H that preparation is on the coaching staff and the players, but as I see it, I think the coaches have lost this team which is the deeper issue.

When your GM and Coach calls out players for their low football IQ, the very same players that they believed in, drafted and are currently coaching, then you know the blame game has officially begun and everyone’s job on the coaching staff and in management is one line. Was the scouting report wrong on this player? Did it just take this level to bring out the low IQ or selfishness in the player? Is coaching part of the problem? Did they draft players for the position they played in college or do they think outside the box like the Cards and draft a CB by trade and convert him to an offensive lineman because he ran a 4.3 40, despite weighing 180 lbs? (sarcasm)

Each week it burns me when you see players drafted in the later rounds starting for other NFL teams and making contributions. Why is that? Is their scouting dept. more talented and superior than ours? Are their position coaches more skilled and qualified than ours? Is their Head Coach more trusting of their players? Is their player development program better than ours? I guarantee you that if someone like Evan Boehm was released tomorrow and picked up by the Broncos that he would be an all pro guard or center by the end of the year.

I’ve said this before that we don’t do a good enough job of player development and maybe I should include scouting in that as well. Kiem’s responsibility in all this is to build a team through the draft and make sure the shelves are stocked with quality players. I think he has been inconsistent at best. But in the end, its the coaching staff that brings it all together and its the coaching staff that the players have tuned out.

CoachK… With some creative play calling to neutralize what you describe as telegraphing the run strategy, placing both RBs occasionally in the backfield with one in motion could keep them from stuffing the box…option to pass or run either man. These plays develop quickly, keeping Palmer clean!

You may remember BA did this with JJ only once…kinda looked like a reverse. BA is stubborn…he’ll always be the OC!! …..we’ll see…

JTDG this is an interesting stance taken by nfl…what i would like to see is the players who are at the front of the not standing for anthem because of social issues in our country is this; contribute a significant amount of their salary and off season time to better the communities they came from. the sad truth in every country in the world is that where there is poverty and little hope crime runs rampant. or look at what jj watt did in the houston area. another sad fact is that almost no one who has a yearly income in the millions will give a significant amount to charity. take joel embid’s new contract as an example: 4 yrs roughly 148 million dollars-if he donates 10k that like one of us donating a dollar or stafford’s new deal-they both could contribute 50 million each without having any impact at all on their lifestyle. what could 100 million do? it could build 1000 nice homes or pay salaries of 2000 teacher or build 100 centers to teach job skills, but this will not happen as even “nice guys” are greedy(see entire manning family)

back to football…signing ap will force opponent to respect the run, at least for a while. it could open up some play action to the te’s down the middle or eliminate some of those deep shots to short wr’s who are double covered. if cards can bring in 5 guys to work out as longsnappers why cant they take a look at every ol on all practice squads-im sure every team has a file on every player on all practice squads or make 31 phone calls to see what ol are available if any. for all we know sk has done this. players get old and they get injured-every team deals with this-im more disappointed in the mental errors and lack of effort…those are the things that the coache should be accountable for and the 2 things that must be corrected now. i predict the cards come out o fire early against tampa but if get behind its “katy, bar the door” again. soooo, im gonna say we win another close game without giving us fans reason to believe that cards are on the way to being a contender.

Maybe Keim can find a bag of chips to put on the players shoulders.. Nothing else will help without some new O-Linemen…..
The only player that has a chip on his shoulder now is CJ2K….
Yeah you got screwed again, you would be a fool to come for a 3rd time…..

I have watch all 5 games and if you go back to my earlier posts I have written once or twice that we do not have an NFL quality running back on our active roster. Sorry I know Chris Johnson was a great back in his day, but his day is not in 2017.

A. Peterson # 28 We have all watched him run and be amazed, but I have not watched any Saints games this year so once again I do not know what Peterson has left in the tank, but I strongly applaud his signing. (Scott H. loved your note on taking away Bethel # 28 and giving to Peterson, if we do we might actually sell a Cardinal Jersey with # 28 on it to someone with a last name other than Bethel.

Coach K and others you make a fair point on when Peterson is in the game defense will know run, but based on our play calling thru 5 games the defense knows when we are running the ball anyway which is primarily on first down only.
As JTDG pointed out second and 6 or second and 7 is way better than second and 9 or 11. It can all be a lot better based on play calling which of course is coaching. This is the key we need to see some ####### coaching.

Once again I applaud the move, as it should help our team and sends a signal, but without other moves including firing a coach or coaches the signal is just a smoke screen and this season will still be wasted.

TE Darren Fells played 38 games for us and scored 4 TDs and on Sunday for the Lions against a good Panther defense he scored 2 TDs, and we all watched what the Eagles TE did to us. We have the talent at TE now we need the coaching.

My fellow birdgang buddies where there is smoke there is fire so lets keep the heat on Bidwill, Keim, and BA and maybe just maybe we can force them to save our 2017 season or at least try and save it instead of doing nothing. Please never forget what we watched in Philadelphia to keep us on task and motivated for 2017.

I posted negatively to this trade earlier but, after seeing Larry’s reaction to it, I feel like anything that makes #11 happy this season is a good thing. I still don’t agree with it in terms of team needs on the field, but maybe it helps with team needs in the locker room. Larry has sacrificed more than any of us for this team. All I have sacrificed is some cash, some time, and some brain cells. If Larry can stay positive then so can I.
Now go out and beat some Buccaneer butt and turn this season around.

MoJoe. Evan Boehm has only played 6-7 NFL games and is a center by trade. Pretty unfair cutting cards coaches saying they are not developing players and if he went to Denver Broncos he would be all-pro. Just saying small sample size to go by.

Did CJ2K really tweet out “LMAO” or something to that effect after being cut? I heard that on the radio but his official account doesn’t appear to reflect the tweet (I assume he deleted it, if in fact he posted it to begin with).

If so, that’s pretty unprofessional (in my mind)… the Cards gave CJ a chance to resuscitate his career. I see a tweet on his page now where he talks about not being the root of the problem — which I agree with — but “LMAO” is a bit much.

TucsonTim…kickoffs? You’ll recall this whole thing on moving the tee was to try to minjmize injuries on STs…of course we’ll take it on the 25!?!? But as it goes, we start much inside the 25 mostly with ineffective returns. …still love the “”go for it”” attitude though…can’t blame anything but bad blocking on STs.

Dawson supposedly has the shorter high hang-time kick inside the 5 to try to pin the opponent much short of the 25. But since we can’t tackle and overrun everything, we have not seen it much.

Now, as it happens, I want to see PP21 stand back for kick returns…taking a knee is about the same as waving at the crowd on punt returns…that’s all he does…no injuries this way. ((All in frustrating jest for me)) He likes the face time!

We lost our speedster return guy…hope he can return full bore. We need to have some threat there. Everyone is speculating…a truly frustrating 1st quarter. Be well…

Well I called that one. The Cardinals Oline is the worst Oline in the NFL, instead of addressing it, they have sat back and allowed practice squad players to be poached. I am completely clueless as to what has happened to this team this year. The decision making is so bizarre. First Ulrick John and now their 4th round draft pick Dorian Johnson. Both placed on other teams active rosters. Would be understandable if we were loaded with talent at the position but clearly were not. I find it very hard to believe that either of the 2 recently poached players would play worse than the players we have starting right now. Veldheer should’ve been cut 3 weeks ago. Our guards are horrible. Humphries has done nothing since he was drafted.
We have 5 running backs on the depth chart??????
I’m completely clueless on the bottom 3, why would we keep these 3 on the active depth chart and not keep Chris Johnson, not promote the 2 offensive lineman from the practice squad since the group we have on active roster is clearly NOT getting the job done.

The ignorance in this country is truly disheartening. Colin Kaepernick is fighting against social injustice? Black Lives Matter? Really? The guy is mixed, half white and half black. He was raised by an all white family after his white mother put him up for adoption. I’m sure he doesn’t even know his black father. Prior to all of this nonsense he was involved in a potential rape. All this nonsense with social injustice started as soon as he began dating a female with ties to middle eastern terrorism.

You can write whatever you want to write Darren. That is a luxury you have. I find it odd that you would choose to recognize a brainwashed clown like Kaepernick though when you could choose to write about someone deserving of recognition. Someone like Larry Fitzgerald or JJ Watt. That’s all I’m saying Darren, If I were in your shoes, I would choose to write about one of the “good” guys. You know? Write about Larrys’ First Down Fund or JJ’s Houston Flood Relief Fund.
I definitely wouldn’t attempt to recognize a pitiful anti American puppet like Colin Kaepernick.

Eric…
Perhaps you need to get a clue; Colin isn’t just trying to bring attention to the injustic in this country against just blacks but ALL minorities and other marginalized citizens, including poor white people who do not enjoy the same equality before the law. This is not about the flag, the military, or love of country and the majority of NFL players have done more on a personal level to elevate conditions in our communities than most of us have the resources to do. When I hear people accusing these guys of being “selfish” and “spoiled” it anger me, b/c it’s usually coming from the same people whose ignoranace is perpetrating division in our country using any platform that is guaranteed to draw controversy
Having lived on and off a reservation much of my life, I am well acquainted with the hate and prejudice still alive in this country toward people with dark skin, Sadly, you will never have a clue what it’s like to fear for your child being targeted, even if it’s in what You would consider a non-threatening way.–fear is fear! Don’t even try to presume you understand what it’s like to walk in the shoes of another based upon what you think you’ve learned in a movie or read in a book.
The message that Kaepernick and the players are trying to get across is that ALL LIVES MATTER and a “shoot first “approach is not acceptable in a country that considers itself an advanced and civilized society.
Anquan Boldin quit the NFL after Charlottesville, when the President made it clear he had more respect for Nazi White Supremists than individuals exercising their constitutional rights but questioning his agenda, and in the wake of having his cousin shot by an off duty police office who lied about the circumstances and is now facing trial.
The NFLPA has also recognized Kaepernick as it’s community MVP and the league has asked him to join the player coalition that will be meeting with the owners.

Its sad that your so confused. Your obviously educated, you write very well.

Colin Kaepernick is scum, period.

“Shoot First”, lol. Find one instance in the past 5 years where uniformed officers just went out and shot a minority or anybody for that matter just because they felt like it. lol

“President made it clear he had more respect for Nazi White Supremacists”, clearly you’ve been watching to much CNN.

The NFL players you refer to are attempting to protest based on false propaganda perpetuated by a divisive media and a liberal democratic society in most major cities. They are clearly misinformed and misled by people like you who are spreading false narrative.

Sadly, you will never know what its like to wear a uniform and represent something bigger than yourself.

I would like to hear back from you in a couple years after you’ve been working for your local police department for a couple of years. Maybe then you can better explain to me how these law enforcement officers “shoot first” and are racist. lol

Eric..
You make a lot of assumptions based on ???
Yes, I am educated but you apparently, missed basic American Government and
history along the way. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to be exposed to other cultures and can count a variety of international colleagues among my associates who have enriched my life and expanded my views thereby adding to my education in ways money can’t buy. The men in my family(and some of the women) are veterans and have fought to protect the constitutional rights of everyone (including those with differing views). I have many family members who have and are wearing the uniforms of First Responders, Firemen, and Law Enforcement, They never have had to use deadly force in exercising their duties, however, they can attest to the racial divide that exists within the various departments, and have first hand experiences with officers who had been in situations in which they discharged their fire arms prematurely; it happens all too often to the extent of being a near epidemic and a very real problem recognized by community leaders and even NFL Owners. So, while I do keep up with the news and read, my views are the product of experience and interactions with many sources,
For your enlightenment, I would suggest that you open you mind and try to know people before judging them rather than mindlessly parroting tired rhetoric, Read up on the case of Corey Jones, Anquan Boldins cousin, who was killed in 2015 by an off duty police officer while Jones was on the phone with Triple A waiting for roadside assistance. After the shooting , the officer lied under oath but the entire event was recorded by the triple A operator and is now going to trial. These types of situations breed fear and distrust and divide our nation; the players are using their celebrity as a platform because, like yourself, many would rather keep their heads in the sand because these conversations are “uncomfortable”.
Good luck on your qwest for personal growth, sports is a great avenue for facilitating social interaction, and we can all use opportunities for working together and the exposure to new ideas that are a dividend.

Please explain, what assumptions have I made. These are typical liberal mindgames, you sound ridiculous and know nothing of what you speak of. The only one making assumptions is you. You talk like you personally know these NFL players and their reasons behind their misguided protests.

Fact: Statistically an NFL player is arrested every 7 days.

Fact: Your views are based on???? Your apparent racism and lack of respect for law enforcement.

Fact: You speak of 1 incident, Corey Jones? Doesn’t sound like theres been an outcome in this particular case. A prosecutor said the officer lied. That’s their job.
Did Corey Jones have a gun? Did he point the gun at officer? Did he comply with directives?

Fact: You make assumptions that just because your particular family member in law enforcement has not had to utilize deadly force, that no law enforcement officer should ever have to or need to utilize deadly force. I’m quite sure your family member has not been exposed to large inner city gang violence. I recall you said that you’ve spent most of your life living on the reservation.

Fact: Colin Kaepernick only began his misguided protests after he started dating BLM activist and ISIS sympathizer Nessa Diab.

Fact: Right before his involvement with Nessa Diab, Colin Kaepernick was investigated for his involvement in a Miami rape case.

Im sure half white Colin Kaepernick and some of the other players are just misunderstood and are unfairly being oppressed by a racial discriminatory government and NFL. lmao

I have stated facts. Statistically a large percentage of NFL players have had negative law enforcement interactions because they were breaking the law.

Colin Kaepernick was a typical guy until he began dating the aforementioned. This is fact.
Colin Kaepernick would currently be employed by the Ravens had it not been for his activist girlfriend comparing Ravens owner to a slave owner. This is fact

Most of these players are young and impressionable and will jump on the bandwagon of misguided ideals if coerced to do so.

We had a President for 8 years who did nothing but create race division in this country. We have a media that does nothing but continue to create race division in this country.

We have influential people in high places that are continuously trying to coerce and negatively influence these guys to do things that they wouldn’t normally do. Case in point, ESPN anchor Jemele Hill publicly criticized and ridiculed Dez Bryant for not taking a knee. He publicly stated he didn’t want any part of it and she publicly played the race card on him and tried to make him feel guilty for not taking part in a demonstration that he didn’t believe in.

Case in point: Video footage of Michael Bennett in Las Vegas has been released showing he completely lied and attempted to spread even more negative propaganda about law enforcement officials. Completely ironic that approximately 2 weeks later in the same city an active shooter murdered 59 people and injured hundreds more.

All of these NFL teams, players and personnel rely on law enforcement every single week for security and protection. Ironic

Clouded? All I said was that you are talking like you know NFL players, like you said of others. Am I wrong? Do you in fact know the players? I apologize if you do.

“Colin Kaepernick was a typical guy …” and “Most of these guys are young and impressionable …” That definitely sounds like someone who knows him/them, because I’m not sure how you can make such statements otherwise.

I’m confused by your question, because I don’t see where I’ve made reference to knowing NFL players. But anyhow I will answer your question. I have met hundreds of NFL players over the years and I have family of whom is connected to some very high profile players. Am I drinking buddies with and or do I have any NFL friends who get together for fishing trips and backyard barbecues? No Darren I don’t, but like I previously stated, I don’t know why your suggesting that I said I know NFL players.
Everything I’ve posted is readily available information via google.

I asked because you speak of them like you know them. I read what you wrote. There is a difference between finding “readily available information via google” and facts. They are not necessarily one and the same. I would guess I could google a great many things that would dispute things you have written, but I would also guess you wouldn’t accept that anyway.

So your suggesting young minds are not impressionable? Is that the position your taking Darren.

Are you also suggesting that Colin Kaepernick was an activist for BLM, black panther party and other radical and extreme organizations prior to dating Nessa Diab. Because it has been documented time and again even on his own Twitter account that he had never posted anything of an activist nature prior to their relationship. When I stated “typical guy”, it is well documented that prior to his current relationship, Colin hung out with his guy friends, posted football pictures and behaved like most young men.
So go ahead and tell me that this guy wasn’t/hasn’t been brainwashed and negatively influenced by someone who honestly should be on the FBIs watch list.

I am suggesting I don’t know Kaepernick. I am suggesting you don’t either, nor any of the players who have said something on this subject. Again, if I am incorrect, I apologize. It worries me a bit that you think you know who the FBI should be watching, I’ll be honest.

Wow, Darren it was you who sparked this whole discussion . Let me ask you a question Darren. You previously stated:

RE: “contribute a significant amount of their salary and off season time to better the communities they came from.”

Kaepernick does this, for one

Well Darren my question is, how do you know this when you just stated that you don’t know the guy.

It worries you a bit that I think I know who the FBI should be watching.
I mean honestly you must be living in the dark Darren. There has been this group called ISIS committing terrorist acts around the globe for the past several years Darren.